My Gift To You
by KatelynRoxUrSox
Summary: Regina offers Emma a parting gift as the curse washes over Storybrooke, while also admitting her love for Emma, knowing that their memories will be washed away. But True Love is the most powerful magic at all, and it allowed traces of Emma's memories to remain. How will Emma find her friends and family again, when she is the only one who remembers who they are?
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: Hi everybody…so after watching the winter finale of OUAT I can definitely say that my body is some odd form of shock/panic/never ending pain, as I'm sure many of you are feeling. And to respond to those feelings, I wanted to write something, but I wasn't sure what I was going to write about. **

**Then I was looking through Spotify and two songs came on and inspired me to write this. They are: I Can't Make You Love me, originally by Bonnie Raitt, and covered by Dave Thomas Junior, and My Wish by Rascal Flatts. I listened to both those songs on repeat while writing it, and it really puts you in the mood to read this, and it gives you the feels, so check it out!**

**Also, more chapters for my alphabet prompt to come, soon!**

**Disclaimers: OUAT is not mine, not the characters, not the concepts, nothing. Just these ideas for this story.**

**Please read, review and enjoy. Lots of love. :) -Katelyn**

The wind whipped violently around the frightened group of Fairy Tale characters. Snow huddled close to David, who held her tightly, kissing the top of her, trying to will away her fears. Neal was holding on to Belle, who stood with sobs wracking her tiny frame as she grieved for her lost love. Hook and Tinker Belle, the estranged friends, stood together, hand in hand, possibly for the last time. The dwarves stood, clumped behind the group, as if their sheer will would prevent the curse from harming their friends. And in front of them, young Henry, as he watched his mothers say good bye to each other.

"Emma," Regina called out, forcing her voice to come out. "There's something I haven't told you."

"What now?" Emma sighed, her voice cracking, as she tried to keep herself steady.

"When the curse washes over us, it will take us all back. Nothing will be left behind. Including your memories. Maybe I'm a coward for waiting so long to tell you this…and I don't know why I'm telling you…since you won't remember anyways," Regina's voice trembled as she tried to hold back tears.

"What is it Regina?" Emma spoke up, barely a whisper. Regina sighed and spoke again.

"I'm in love with you. Emma Swan. There's no way that you can feel the same…after all, I am the Evil Queen... But that's okay," Regina explained, offering a tight lipped smile, tears beginning to fall.

"No Regina…please," Emma tried, shaking her head, but the brunette continued.

"Emma you were the one that taught me how to love again. Because you gave me the chance to try again. You saw me as Regina, and not the Evil Queen. You set aside all the horrible things that happened to you because of me, and you gave me a chance. And I can never thank you enough for that. You gave me the gift of a second chance, which is something I never expected to have.." Regina took Emma's shaking hand in her own, holding it tightly.

"So now I'm offering you the best gift I can give you under the circumstances. I will give you and Henry memories of each other, so that when the curse washes over us, it will be as if you never gave him up, and you will remember every bit of your life together."

"You… you would do that?" Emma stuttered in shock.

"For you, Emma, I would do anything…" she turned to her son. "Henry," she called.

"Mommy," Henry cried out, burying his head in her chest.

"You will be safe with Emma, my love," she whispered, knowing well that Emma was still standing by her.

"But I don't want to be without you," he sobbed.

"I know…I don't want to be without you, but I'm a villain, Henry. You heard Mr. Gold. Villain's don't get happy endings," Regina whispered, kissing Henry's cheek.

"You're not a villain. You're my mom. And I love you so much," Henry whispered hugging her again.

"I love you, too, baby…Now you must go quickly." Regina took Henry's hand, and led him to the town line, Emma following behind, feeling numb.

"Go ahead Henry," Emma urged, gently. Henry stepped over the line, feeling no different.

"You too, Emma," Regina pleaded. Emma nodded solemnly and did the same.

Regina and Emma stood toe to toe on opposite sides of the line. Regina held the spell in her hand, prepared to cast it when the time was ready.

"You know, you're wrong," Emma told Regina, their foreheads practically touching. "I do feel the same way Regina. And I will remember this. Because love is strength. I will make myself remember, even if it kills me," Emma said firmly.

Regina gave a soft chuckle, "Well I hope for your sake and Henry's that it doesn't." Regina offered a gentle smile, knowing full well that Emma would not remember this.

"Come here," Regina requested, and she leaned in carefully, taking Emma's lips with her own. Emma closed her eyes, and slipped her tongue into Regina's mouth, breaking away only when the need for air became dire.

"Regina, I-" Emma tried, but Regina silenced her with a kiss.

"I love you Emma Swan," Regina murmured, and kissed Emma again, making sure that Emma had crossed the line. And as they kissed, Regina cast the spell, crumpling the scroll in her hand. As the curse washed over them, reaching just up to the town line, every member of the town, Regina included, vanished into thin air, leaving Emma and Henry standing on the other side.

Emma opened her eyes and saw herself staring at an open road.

"Mom, I'm done taking pictures," Henry called. "We can keep going."

"What are you-" Emma began, confused, as she realized that they were alone with her yellow bug, which was pulled over on the side of the road. She saw her son climbing out of the woods, a camera hanging around his neck, walking towards her beat up, yellow Bug.

"We should stop for food on the way home," Henry suggested as they made their way to the car.

"Home," Emma murmured, but the word felt funny coming off of her tongue.

"Yeah…home…Boston…you know?" Henry asked, raising an eyebrow. "Mom are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah kid, I'm fine .Let's go home," Emma said nodding. They climbed back into the jeep and continued on the narrow road until they reached the highway.

As they made their way home, Emma couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was different. Something was off…she just wasn't sure what.

**a/n: there will be plenty more where that came from! please review! I'm on winter brea next week so there will be a lot of updates happening if you guys like this :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: Hey everyone. Holy wow. I totally did not expect my story to be received as well as it was! Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. It means the world to me, to know that there are people enjoying my writing :) **

**Disclaimers: OUAT is not mine, not the characters, not the concepts, nothing. Just these ideas for this story.**

**And on to chapter 2. Enjoy!**

Emma grumbled as she glared at the alarm clock sitting on her bedside table, as if her evil eye would shut the alarm off. Finally, after a moment of arguing with herself, she shut off her alarm and rolled out of bed. As she stood up, she grasped her head, immediately feeling the beginning of a headache.

"Good day this is gonna be," Emma muttered and made her way into the bathroom to locate the aspirin.

As she downed three of the small white pills, she remembered that her son had school this morning.

"Henry, you up?" She called, poking her head out of the bathroom door. Not waiting for a response, she shut the door again and turned on the shower.

"Yeah I'm up," she heard Henry mumble from under his covers.

"You're a big fat liar! Get out of bed or you're going to be late," she hollered as she stepped into the shower. She closed her eyes and let the warm spray cover her, praying that it would relieve the tension in her head.

Unfortunately, 15 minutes later as she dried herself off and got dressed, Emma felt the headache return.

"Henry are you-" Emma called out irritatedly as she entered Henry's room to see him dressed and putting his books in his back pack.

"I'm ready," He replied calmly, raising an eyebrow at the disheveled state of his mother. Her head was a massive mess of wet blonde curls, her blouse was half buttoned and her pants had yet to be zipped. "Are you coming down with something mom? You don't look too good…" Henry murmured.

"I'm fine, kid. Now go get some cereal. Can't leave without breakfast," Emma murmured and sent him on his way so that she could finish getting dressed.

She pulled off her shirt, the material feeling itchy on her skin. She tossed the cotton blouse aside and reached into her dresser for a different shirt. She continued to pull out shirts until her drawer was practically empty. Every shirt she found was perfect fine, but none seemed right.

"Moooom!" Henry called fro downstairs.

"Yeah I'm coming in a sec," she called. She slumped onto the floor leaning up against the cabinet, well aware of the mess of clothing surrounding her, and her pathetic state. Blonde hair tumbling onto her shoulders wildly, sitting only in her bra and unzipped pants. But something just didn't feel right. Finally, she reached into the back of her dresser and pulled out a thin, blue, silky shirt. She pulled it on and took in the scent of it; it was so familiar, but she couldn't put a name on the smell.

She furrowed her eyebrows as a wave of pain rushed through her head. It was going to be a long day. She zipped up her dress pants, grabbed her purse and shoes and rushed down the stairs.

"Okay I'm good," she told Henry, who was sitting on the couch watching a cartoon.

"Finally," he teased, making his way to the door to grab his backpack.

"Oh shut up," Emma said, rolling her eyes, giving him a gentle shove out the door towards the car.

"Bye kid. Love you," Emma called to Henry as he climbed out of the car by the bus stop.

"Love you too, mom," Henry said with a broad smile. "Matt's mom will bring me home, so see you after work," he added.

"Yeah see you. Have a good day," she said waving as he made his way to his group of friends. He gave one last wave and ran over to the bus stop. Emma drove away, grinning at the fact that even though he was with his friends he wasn't embarrassed to wave goodbye to her.

She pulled away from the curb and drove down to the precinct.

**.oOo.**

"Swan!" A large man sitting at a desk called out, waving her down. He was a gruff middle aged man with a thick graying beard.

"Hey Ross," Emma said making her way over to the man called Ross. There were a group of rough looking guys sitting around the table.

"Emma, looking good," a tall muscular blonde man, sitting to the left of Ross, said with a charming grin, putting an arm around Emma. He looked to be a few years older than Emma, and while he seemed to be acting like he was hitting on Emma, the good natured teasing was always more brotherly. These men were Emma's family, second to Henry, of course.

"Get off James," Emma said rolling her eyes. Turning back to Ross she sat down on the corner of the desk.

"What do we have today, boys?" She asked smiling, puling a stack of files off the desk. She pulled off her jacket and grabbed a pen. She was ready for business.

**.oOo.**

"So what mountain did you hit this weekend?" James asked Emma, as they walked down the street outside the precinct. Emma wrapped her coat a little tighter around herself, shivering from the brisk fall air. Emma had been taking Henry hiking every weekend since the summer had started. Because of her job, she wasn't able to spend a lot of time with Henry during the week, especially when she was on a case, so she did her best to make it up to him by spending as much time as possible together over the weekend.

"We climbed our last mountain for Maine," Emma explained smiling at memories of Henry trying to scale the rock face, but failing miserably. She was embarrassed to say that her kid had inherited her lack of grace, rather than her athletic ability.

"I bet he enjoyed that. When are you starting New Hampshire?" James asked with a smile as they turned the corner.

"Next weekend…you're welcome to join us if you're interested. I bet Henry would love some guy time," Emma said laughing.

"Yeah I'd like that," James agreed, looking to Emma with a kind smile.

"James," Emma murmured, looking away from him.

"Yeah?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"The guy across the street…grey jacket, jeans, baseball cap. See him?" Emma asked.

"I…" James paused, scanning the street subtly. "Got him."

"That's our guy," Emma said, slowly moving away from James.

"What do you think we should…" James began, but turned to see Emma had already taken off towards the man, who had since, started running.

"Stop!" Emma yelled. "Boston PD!" she cried out again. This only made the man run faster.

"God damnit," She muttered, picking up her pace. He turned the corner quickly, but she was faster than he. She dove for his legs and tackled him to the ground. James ran up moments later, behind her.

"What the hell, Emma?" James asked, out of breath. Emma sighed, and cuffed the man.

"He was running," she explained with a shrug. "Why were you running, man?" Emma asked angrily turning to the guy she was holding. "We know you have the drugs. We know you've been embezzling money. So why bother?" Emma spat. The man just shrugged with a cocky grin.

"I don't have time to play games. Tell us where the money is, or we're bringing you in," Emma threatened, narrowing her eyes.

"You'd bring me in either way," the man said with a shrug.

"True enough. Take him to Ross," Emma called to James, who did as he was told. Emma followed behind, hands in her pockets, frustrated and tired.

**.oOo.**

"Henry I'm home!" Emma called, walking into the kitchen, tossing her keys and purse on the counter.

"Hey mom," Henry called from the dining room. He was seated at the table doing math homework. He put his pencil down and pushed his books aside. "How was your day?"

"Caught a bad guy and had a grilled cheese for lunch. Pretty great. And I brought us home the best dessert for after dinner," Emma said with a grin.

"Apple turnover?" Henry asked, eyes widening with excitement.

"Yes sir!" Emma said with a grin, motioning to a bag on the counter, "But, you have to finish your homework while I make dinner…how does lasagna sound?"

"Sounds great mom! Thanks!" Henry exclaimed excitedly, focusing back on his homework. Emma gave a crooked smile as she watched her son work diligently. She turned away and moved towards the kitchen.

As she pulled out the ingredients for her lasagna she felt her headache coming back on. She filled a pot up with water and placed it on the stove. Emma moved to the cabinet to find some more advil, frowning at the fact that they were almost out.

"Better put that on the grocery list," she murmured, "Or stop getting headaches." She frowned rubbing her forehead, and then moved back to the stove to start on the sauce.

She pulled the tomatoes, the onions and the garlic from the fridge, placed them on the counter and then moved to the cabinet to get the dried spices. She opened the cabinet and then paused, realizing she wasn't sure what to put in the sauce. Making lasagna had always been second nature to her. Why couldn't Emma remember how to make her famous lasagna? It was Henry's favorite meal- she made it on birthdays, holidays and whenever guests came over. But today, she couldn't remember.

"Mom, I'm done my homework," Henry said entering the kitchen, interrupting her thoughts.

"Would you be completely opposed to having spaghetti and jarred sauce…I uh, don't have all the ingredients for my special sauce, and you can't have lasagna with out the special sauced," Emma lied smoothly.

"Yeah that's fine, but let's go to the market this weekend and pick up whatever's missing?" Henry suggested.

"Yeah, sounds good, kid," Emma agreed with a tight lipped smile. "Wanna help me finish up dinner?"

"Sure mom!" He exclaimed happily, and he made his way around the counter to the stove to pour the pasta in the pot of water. Emma wrapped her arm around him and gave him a hug.

"I love you, Henry," she murmured.

"Love you too, mom," He said with a grin.

**.oOo.**

**Meanwhile…in a different land**

"Oh Emma…Henry….I miss you two so much more than you'll ever know," a tearful Regina murmured, staring into her mirror, which showed a young blonde woman in a kitchen, hugging her son. Her heart broke, knowing she would never be in that kitchen with the two people she loved the most.

**a/n thanks so much for reading this chapter! Stick around. There's more! I just could leave you all with a cliff hanger, because that would be cruel, seeing as I don't update nearly as often as I would like to! I'll try to get in one more chapter before this break is over though. please review guys! xoxo ~katelyn**


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: hello everybody! thanks for reading and reviewing :) like I'm seriously obsessed with everyone that does! Sorry that these updates are few and far between. I have been trying my best to write and post, but I'm soooo busy. but anyways, no more excuses! I'll try to update every weekend, and that's that!**

**Uh, just an FYI, I can never call David, James, even though that is his FTL name. I just can't do it for whatever reason….so I'm referring to him as David, but obviously the curse has broken.**

**Disclaimer is in the first chapter!**

**Please read, review and enjoy :)**

"Perhaps we could try a portal?" A hopeful Snow White suggested.

"And where, my dear, would we get one of those?" Regina asked, pursing her lips.

"Jefferson must be able to get one. Or maybe Gold could-" Snow continued anxiously.

"You have always had the problem of being painfully optimistic, though now I suppose it's just desperation. You never think before you act! You've been spouting off ideas to me for the last hour. Do you really think that those options haven't crossed my mind?" Regina exclaimed, finally breaking. They had been sitting around the same table where Snow, Charming and the council had decided to build the wardrobe to send Snow and Emma away in. It was ironic, really, that now Regina had a place on that council. She was surrounded by the two idiots and their nauseating friends, and had tried to sit patiently while the group brainstormed ways to get Henry and Emma back, but enough was enough.

"Well, I just-" Snow stuttered, but Regina cut her off.

"You didn't 'just' anything! You haven't taken time to figure anything out. You're just jumping right back in without any knowledge of what has happened to us. You've been talking my ear off for an hour- an hour I could have spent researching. But instead _you_ always insist on being in command! Well, my dear, you're the leader, and look how far you've gotten us," Regina snarled.

"Regina, there's no need to be uncivil-" David began, but was cut off by Snow.

"You have _no_ reason to be angry about _anything_ right now! We lost our _child_ because of you once, and now we've lost her again because of you! So yes, you DO need to listen to us spouting ideas, and you ARE under our command right now! Why, I have half the mind to just-" Snow yelled, but Regina stood up, enraged. The vein in the center of her forehead was pulsing, and her eyes were on fire.

"Did I not lose a child as well, Snow White? Henry? Yes, he is MY child! So I do have a right to be angry! And in case you weren't sure about what my relationship is with your daughter right now- well I'm missing her just as much, if not _more_ than you are! So not only do I have a RIGHT to be angry, but I have a damn good REASON to be, as well! As for being under your command, _dear, _well that's where you are very wrong." With that, Regina stood up and walked away. She would not stand to listen to their idiotic ideas instead of figuring out ways to get Henry back.

It's not that Snow and the council had _bad _ideas, but they were too basic- too standard. Of course they had all crossed her mind, but none would work. This curse was far more complex then a simple portal, and so the solution had to be just as complicated.

**.oOo.**

It was late in the afternoon when Regina returned to her palace. She ignored the servants asking her if she needed anything, and made her way up to my room.

"Your majesty-" A young girl, the daughter of her maid, began.

"Mary, please leave me for the night and tell your mother that I request she do the same," Regina whispered gently, as she opened the door to her bed chambers.

"Of course, your majesty. If I may ask, are you alright?" Mary asked. She was a pretty young blonde, with a glittering green eyes, and a face that reminded her so much of Emma's, that it made her heart ache every time she looked.

"Of course, dear," Regina nodded with a tight lipped smile, and entered her room, shutting and locking the door behind her.

It was about 3:30 in Storybrooke on a Wednesday afternoon, which meant Henry was just getting home from school. He would begin his homework, and Emma would arrive home two hours later and get started on dinner. They would have a family dinner together and talk about their days, then they would review Henry's homework. Then they played a game, or a read a book together, or on weekends watch a movie, and then it was bed time.

Regina knew that schedule by heart because it had once been her schedule with Henry. Regina had given all of her memories of raising Henry to Emma. Of course, they had lived in her mansion in Storybrooke and not in Boston, but besides that, the memories were exactly the same. She made her way to her mirror and sat in front of it. She was exhausted and she could feel a headache coming on. Hearing Snow's whiny voice in your ear all day can really get to a person.

"Show me Henry," she murmured softly. She watched as the mirror swirled and foggy images morphed into the shape of Henry, and the dining room. He sat diligently doing homework- math from the expression on his face- with a bowl of pretzels in front of him.

Oh how she missed that face. The face that said how much he hated math, but how hard he'd work to understand it. Regina was so proud of him, and she feared she'd never get to tell him that again. There had to be a way.

**.oOo.**

"Hey Emma," James called to her, as she packed her bag up at her desk.

"Yeah what's up?" Emma said, looking up from the files she was putting into her bag. James made his way slowly to Emma's desk, with a book in his hands.

"What's that?" She asked motioning toward it. It was about an inch and half thick, with a dark brown hard cover. It said "Once Upon a Time" on the cover.

"Emma….did I ever tell you about Michael?" He asked, his voice sounding rough.

"No…I don't think so," Emma said shaking her head.

"Michael's my son…" James explained slowly.

"You have a son?" Emma asked surprised. She had worked with this guy forever, and she had never heard that.

"Had," James corrected. "He died when he was six…about seven years ago…he was sick for a while," James explained, fidgeting with the book in front of him.

"James…" Emma murmured, shaking her head, "Why are you telling me this now?"

"This was Michael's favorite book. His mother and I…we're separated now…we used to read this to him every night…and you and I were talking about how fast Henry was growing up. Stories, fairy tales, they keep the innocence a little longer. You don't get the time back, Emma. You can't get it back," He said shaking his head. Without another word, he extended the book to her.

"I can't take this from you," Emma said, feeling hot tears stinging her eyes.

"Please. I need you to," He pleaded. "Read him a story every night. Let him ask questions. The ones you know, answer, and the ones you don't, make up or have him make it up. Keep his youthful imagination alive," James explained.

"James," Emma murmured, but he cut her off.

"Have a good night, Emma," He said quietly. And he turned to leave, but then turned back. He gently leaned over and kissed Emma's cheek, and without another word he left the station, leaving Emma with her bag and the books.

She put a hand to her cheek, confused, but there was the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. Perhaps it was just from the intimate, personal moment she had just shared with James…

**.oOo.**

"So Henry…" Emma said with a grin, as Henry pulled the covers over himself in bed that night.

"Yes?" Henry asked suspiciously, with a raised eyebrow. His mom was being pretty weird lately, and he didn't know how to feel about it.

"James at work…remember him?" Emma asked.

"The guy with the golden retriever?" Henry asked.

"That's the one," Emma said nodding with a smile.

"What about him?" Henry asked. "Oh my god, are you dating him?"

"What? No!" Emma exclaimed surprised. She chuckled, "No I'm not dating him."

"Oh. Okay then what is it?" Henry asked more calmly.

"Wait…why? Would it be so bad if I started dating people?" Emma asked.

"Well, no I just-" Henry began, but Emma shook her head.

"Be honest, Henry…you can tell me anything," Emma said, sitting on the bed with him.

"I guess it wouldn't be bad to have a guy in the house…I just…work keeps you away from home a lot. And I know you're trying to spend time with me, and that's why we go hiking…but if you start dating, won't that mean even less time at home?" Henry asked fearfully.

"God no, Henry. I would never put anything or anyone before you. You _always_ will come first in my life," Emma vowed. She leant over and hugged Henry tightly, kissing his forehead.

"I'm sorry I interrupted, what were you gonna say?" Henry asked sheepishly.

"He gave me this book…told me to read you a story from it every night. What do you say?" Emma asked.

"What's it about?" He asked, picking up the book.

"They're fairytales," Emma said with a shrug.

"Princesses?" Henry asked, pursing his lip.

"Some, but from what I've skimmed through, it looks like a lot of heroes, adventures, and an Evil Queen," she explained with a shrug.

"Evil Queen?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Yep," Emma said nodding.

"Okay…let's read," Henry said, nodding in agreement. Emma smiled and settled in next to Henry opening the book.

"Once upon a time…"

**.oOo.**

"Your highness, Queen Regina has requested you make journey to her palace tomorrow at your earliest convenience," a maid said to Snow, curtseying.

"Now she wants to work with us," She scoffed to charming. "Concerning what?"

"Princess Emma, and her son, your highness," the maid said.

"Emma? Did she say any more?" Snow exclaimed.

"No, your highness. I'm sorry," the maid answered quietly.

"No, no you're fine. It's not your fault…Charming, let's go," Snow said quickly, turning to her husband.

"Where?" He asked looking outside, "It's late."

"We're going to Regina's now. If she knows anything about Emma and Henry, I want to hear it," Snow said firmly.

"No. We will wait till the morning, Snow. I want to bring Emma and Henry home just as much as you do, I swear. But if we don't do this Regina's way, she might not help us," he explained, causing Snow to scoff again.

"As much as it pains me to admit this, and it truly does, Regina loves Emma. She wouldn't jeopardize Emma's safety or her relationship with us," Snow said pursing her lips.

"Even still," Charming began, wrapping his arms around Snow.

"Fine," she said grumpily, conceding.

"Good. Now let's go to sleep," Charming said, leading his wife to their bedroom.

**.oOo.**

It had been a long day for Emma, with the bad guy chasing, and the heart to heart with James, and Henry admitting his fears of her dating again. Plus that damned headache would not go away.

Emma made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a glass, and a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard. She took Henry's book, the bottle and the cup and made her way to the couch.

"Nothing like a little light reading before bed," she murmured, popping the cap of the liquor and pouring herself a glass.

As she opened the page, she saw an illustration of a beautiful woman wearing all black. Emma pulled her glasses off the coffee table and put them on, looking more closely. The woman looked strangely familiar, though she couldn't say from where. She continued to read, becoming more and more engrossed in what came to be the Evil Queen's story, rather than being interested in the main hero, Snow White's, story.

All the while, as she read and drank, she couldn't help but shake the feeling like she had seen this woman before.

"But that's ridiculous," Emma murmured. "Because she's just an illustration in a STORY book," she said shaking her head. She decided that that was enough reading for the night, and she put the book on the table and made her way towards her bed.

She fell asleep with the Evil Queen's face fresh in her mind.


End file.
